By Andrew Wu
Brad Scott’s call not to give club stalwart Dyson Heppell a farewell game in front of his home fans has become a bone of contention in the Essendon community.
As Bombers legend Simon Madden called for patience among supporters after the club all but bowed out of the September race, Essendon goalkicking great Matthew Lloyd was critical of Scott’s handling of Heppell.
Essendon’s Dyson Heppell was not given a farewell game in front of home fans.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
Though disappointed not to be have played, Heppell, according to multiple club sources speaking on the condition of anonymity, handled his non-selection with grace and fully understood why Scott left him out of the final 23. A club source also strongly rejected a report players were unhappy Heppell was not picked, saying leaders believed there was nothing to the claim.
Heppell was given an emotional sendoff before the game by a partisan but lower-than-expected crowd of 33,830, having earlier addressed guests in a Q&A at the president’s function attended by his family.
While Scott on Friday night could not guarantee Heppell would face Brisbane Lions next week, Bombers football boss Daniel McPherson indicated on Fox Footy before the loss to the Swans that the veteran would be given a farewell match if the club was out of the finals race.
Remarkably, the Bombers remain a mathematical possibility of playing finals, but they will be eliminated if two of Hawthorn, Western Bulldogs or Carlton win on Sunday.
Club sources said the Bombers were fully supportive of Scott’s call to pick the side on merit and not sentiment at a time when the club remained firmly in the hunt for finals.
But there is also a view held by many supporters, and given voice to by premiership hero Lloyd, that Heppell deserved the chance to say goodbye to fans on home soil.
Heppell, who debuted in 2011, remained loyal to the Bombers through the drugs scandal, rejecting offers from rival clubs to stay in the red and black.
“Some will say ‘good on Brad Scott for selection integrity and just picking his best team’, but I think the majority would say that they would have loved to have seen Dyson play tonight, for all that he’s given to the club, and through all the tough times that he’s always been there and stood so strong for his club,” Lloyd said on 3AW.
“I personally would’ve loved to have seen it. I don’t think he would have hindered their performance and I think for him, his family, his friends, potentially even a lift for the group, I would’ve loved to have seen it.
“I love Dyson. I just think he has made as much of an impact on that club as anybody in the last 10-15 years.
“I think it would mean a lot for the group of players – Zach Merrett and the senior players. I think [they] would have thought, ‘how good is this that (we) are farewelling a champion’.”
The Bombers were in a dilemma in how they managed the situation with Heppell, as they stood to be accused of allowing emotion to affect selection if they had recalled the veteran, who has been dropped twice since being rested against Collingwood in round 17.
Youngster Archie Roberts, a fourth-round pick from last year’s draft who has claimed Heppell’s place in the side, was among the Bombers’ better players against the Swans, though Jake Kelly, 29, had a quiet night.
Scott, who presided over the retirement of Brent Harvey and several other senior players at North Melbourne, said Heppell had made it clear to him that he would know his time was up if a younger player had gone past him to take his spot.
“We’ve had discussions for four to six weeks,” Scott said. “But I mean, he is as strong as I am. On our seasons, we were still in contention. We pick our best team, and that’s what we did. That’s what everyone would expect us to do.”
Club legend Madden, who quit the board two years ago, said fans, as difficult as it may be, needed to be patient for success.
“You change the coach, it’s not going to happen overnight,” Madden said. “Do you have a plan to develop the players, game style etc?
“That’s why I talk about a development year, consolidation year and next year you should be able to do something. It’s hard to have patience in football, but if you don’t do it that way you go up and down, up and down, up and down.”